Azerbaijan’s head of state, Ilham Aliyev, has been re-elected for his fifth term in office with 92 percent of the votes (see video above). However, there was no real opposition and the government took tough action against the independent media.
It was therefore considered certain that Aliyev would win the early presidential elections. The 62-year-old has ruled the country with a harsh stance since the death of his father and predecessor Haidar Aliyev in 2003. In recent months, Azerbaijani authorities have increased pressure on independent media and arrested several critical journalists exposing high-level bribery had stated. The human rights organization Amnesty International on Tuesday called it a “comprehensive, coordinated attack on civil society and the rule of law.”
Country “reunited”
The current vote took place about five months after the Azerbaijani military offensive in the disputed Caucasus region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Aliyev had brought forward the elections originally scheduled for 2025 and traveled to Nagorno-Karabakh with his wife Mehriban to vote. As reported, Azerbaijan’s military forced the dissolution of the self-proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, previously inhabited mainly by Armenians. This paved the way for the settlement of Azerbaijanis.
Aliyev prides himself on having ‘reunified’ his country. In Wednesday’s elections, people could vote for the first time at 26 polling stations in the region. Azerbaijan and Armenia had been fighting over the region since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Almost all the former 120,000 inhabitants have now fled to Armenia.
Unlimited terms
According to the Central Election Authority, turnout was 67.7 percent. Since 2009, the Azerbaijani head of state can serve an unlimited number of terms. In 2016, the mandate was extended to seven years. The same year, Aliyev appointed his wife as vice president.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
